Melody on the Sea
by Trafalgar Neo
Summary: Melody always lands in hot water because of her clumsiness, but none more so then when she lands into the lap of the Revolutionary Army. Literally. (Spin off from Frozen Soul rewritten.)
1. Melody Meets Sabo

Melody Meets Sabo

Melody pressed her back against the wall. A drop of sweat ran down her back from both the heat inside of the building and the anxiety she was feeling. Her heart thrashed against her chest as she listened to the voices come closer to her.

"Man, these long days are killing me," a man said with a groan.

"I know. It's so boring watching over the slaves. It only gets fun when one slacks off," a second man said.

The first man laughed. "You just want to hit them. That's all you're here for."

"Of course," the second man said. "They're so lazy. They deserve every single beating they get. We give them a place to sleep and plenty to eat. Ingrates. This island was nothing until the boss came along and helped them."

Melody clenched her fists. Her teeth ground into each other at the two men's words. The desire to hammer them into the ground right this second filled her. Then use her water crystals to flood their bodies and drown them. But she couldn't. It wasn't the right time for that. She drew in a breath and exhaled. The men's words and footsteps faded away from her. Once they were completely gone she slipped out into the hall. She watched them turn the corner before going in the direction they came.

Coming to a divide hallway she turned to her left. She was about to the end of the hall when shadows appeared on the floor. Voices accompanied the shadows. Her heart raced. Looking around she found a vent on the ceiling. Summoning a crystal she formed a stream of water and lifted herself to the vent. She grabbed it and pulled. The screws gave way and fell towards the floor. Shifting her water she gathered the screws up before they could reveal her presence. Slipping into the ductworks the just before the people passed under her, she replaced the vent.

Dust kicked up from ductwork as she slithered along. It tickled her nose, threating to make her sneeze. "Man, this is harder than I thought it was going to be." Her nose twitched. "If this keeps up I'm going to reveal myself before I can reach my goal."

She summoned two water crystals. Water formed around them at her will. She lowered them to the ductwork in front of her. Moisture leaked out from the crystals, wetting the dust. Pleased with her work she shifted forward. "Okay, let's see. I should be able to get to the right room through the ductwork. I just hope I don't have a klutz attack and fall through the ductwork."

She continued on, wetting the dust and dirtying her clothes as she worked her way through the ductwork. Multiple turns right and left soon made her head spin. She had to get out of this place soon, before she became disoriented and never found her way out. She never believed she was claustrophobic but often tight spaces annoyed her.

The sounds of clanking and groaning of machines finally reached her. She crawled up to a vent and looked into the room. Relief washed over her at seeing the people that had been taken. They were still alive and on the island, though she had no idea for how much longer. Rumors were the workers were going to move the slaves away from here very soon because of the Revolutionaries. She wasn't sure if it was true or not. Most likely it was just a rumor. No one ever knew if the Revolutionaries were around until the damage had been done and they were gone. Still she had to move fast if she was going to free the people that had been enslaved. There would be no way she could face her friend if she failed here tonight.

"All right." Melody shifted her crystals to the screws. Wrapping her water around them she pulled them out then moved the vent aside. She watched the room below, looking for the right time to lower herself to the floor. Several workers wore the same identical light blue suits while the _slaves_ were forced to wear their own torn and dirty clothes. The workers were pacing about the room or stationed in certain areas, making sure the _slaves_ kept working and didn't try to escape. Thought she was quiet certain none of them could escape even if they tried. They needed a keycard to unlock the doors and the ability to cross quicksand once outside, unless they were lucky enough to find the hidden passageway that allowed the shipments to come and go without being seen. Which she knew no one had. But she knew. It was underground. She herself only managed to get inside because of a vent that was on the roof. It was unguarded.

Her eyes fell upon an elderly man. He was assembling a gun when suddenly his face contorted with pain. His hands fell from the gun and he collapsed.

"Hey!" A man wearing a suit stepped up to him. Pulling out a baton he slammed it on the old man's back. "Get back to work!"

She gritted her teeth. This whole thing was so wrong. But it wouldn't last much longer. She was going to get what she needed then it would be over. It had to be. The workers and _slaves_ went back to their business when the old man stood back up.

Melody allowed herself to fall head first out of the vent. Moving her crystals below her she created a water slide for her and fell down behind some crates. Pressing her back against a crate she waited a few minutes to see if anyone noticed her. When no alarms went off she reached for her pocket and pulled out her pry bar. As quietly as she could she stuck it into the crate and popped the lid open.

A smile rose on her face when she saw all the guns inside. "Gotcha." She pulled a transponder snail from her pocket and took a picture of the guns then took one of the guns and slung it around her shoulder. Next she took a couple pictures of the slaves, the machines, and workers. "Let's see you get away with this now."

"Hey! You there! Stop!"

She jumped. Five men were running towards her.

"Crap!" Melody sprung away from the crates, but the man's shouts alerted the others to her presence. Alarms shrieked through the building. She raced for the vent, shooting herself up and into it with her water crystals before bullets shot passed her. "Hey! It's not nice to shoot at a lady!"

The men cussed at her.

Not bothering with to close the vent she scrambled back through the ductwork as quickly as she could. Bullets pierced the metal work. Pain shot through her shoulder. A bullet had grazed her. "Stupid. Why did I come back in here? I'm a sitting duck."

She scrambled to another vent and kicked it in before dropping into the dark room below. A light came on. A woman screamed. She turned to the voice and saw a man in woman in bed. Her cheeks flushed. The woman screamed. "Oops. Sorry."

"Who the heck are you?!" the man demanded.

She didn't answer as she bolted for the door. She shot out into the hallway. Several workers were coming from her right so she dashed left. Her eyes darted all over the halls as she ran. "Got to get out of here! Got to get out of here! Give me a window! Or something! Anything that leads to the outside!"

More bullets filled the air. The gun smoke and hot lead singed her nose. She rounded a corner.

"You're not going to get away!" A man lifted a bazooka at her.

Melody rolled her eyes. Moving her crystal in front of her she shot out a stream of water. The man gurgled from the water pouring down his throat. She raced passed him. Suddenly a door opened. A woman stepped out. Melody grabbed her and shoved her back into the room.

"Who are you? You're not a worker here," the woman said.

"You think?" Melody eyed a window and dashed for it. "Perfect!"

"You shouldn't bother! You won't get away from the quicksand!" the woman called.

Melody shot her a smirk. "I got passed it to get here, did I?"

"What?!" The woman gasped. "That's not possible!"

Melody moved a crystal in front of her. Keeping the crystal hidden from the woman, she shot a large stream of water at the window. The glass shattered. She dove through it and slid on her water.

The ground grew bigger. The quicksand shifted, looking like a monster moving through the moonlight.

"Not today!" she said as the quicksand tried to grab her. She divided her water slide. One part pushed the quicksand down while she continued to glide through the air on the other stream. She sailed over the quicksand and landed in the swamp. Alligators growled at her sudden arrival. "Sorry, guys. I didn't mean to startle you."

Melody smiled at the alligators before bolting through the trees. She had to get to her safe house before someone came after her, which she knew would be soon. While most of the workers were inside of the factory there were still about a thousand on the outside. She took a few steps forward then paused when she saw movement from the corner of her eyes. Ducking behind a bush she pushed some leaves away to see who it was. Surely the workers haven't caught up this soon. She knew it wasn't workers when screams rose in the air. The quicksand had taken two more victims. "Morons. You shouldn't have come here. Neither should the three who came before you."

Melody shot off through the trees.

A shot fire through the air. A branch snapped before falling to the ground in front of her.

Melody sailed over the branch and kept running. The gun pounded her back as she ran. More gunfire and shouting came. Her chest heaved up and down as she made her way out of the woods. Another mile and the abandon town came into view. It wasn't ideal but there was no way she could lead them back to her safe house. She had to try and lose them before going back there. She raced through the abandon houses and streets, making sure to stomp down as hard as she could to leave solid footprints for them to follow.

As soon as she was sure she had gotten her pursuers confused, she shot up to a broken window with her water and slipped inside the dark house. Standing against the wall she watched as they ran passed her. She exhaled. "Finally. I should have lost them now. They'll be chasing my footprints all night. By the time they figure out I just lead them in circles it'll be too late for them. I'll have this gun to the navy. Then they'll all be free."

She walked forward. Hearing something thump below her she moved to stop walking but her feet decided not to listen. They tangled onto each other causing her to lose her balance. She fell forward, landing on the floor with a hard thud. The floorboards snapped. "Uh oh." Before she could react the floor grumbled beneath her. Her eyes slammed shut. She fell for a few seconds. She knew she was going to land on the hard floor but something felt off when she landed. Her body was at an odd angle, as if she had landed on a chair or something. She opened her eyes to find a pair of dark eyes staring back at her with a mix of surprise and suspicion. She had landed on someone's lap. Her eyes drew to the scar on the side of his face. Her heart hammered. She had seen his face and scar before but was unable to place it before a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hold it!" someone said.

Melody pulled her eyes away from the dark eyes to find herself surrounded by several men and women. They held up their weapons at her.

"Who are you, girl?" the blonde man she had landed on demanded. "Did you over hear us?"

"Huh?" The woman standing beside a fishman leaned closer to Melody. "Don't jump the gun, Sabo. She's just a kid."

Melody smiled inside her head. She was often mistaken for a child since she looked so young. This was her chance to slip away from them. "No, I didn't hear anything." She moved off the man's lap. Collapsing her hands in front of her she bowed to them. "Forgive me for dropping in like that. I didn't even know someone was here. This area has been abandoned for over twenty years." She put on the sweetest smile she could manage. "I'm sorry. I'm just a little kid. I was on my way home and got lost. Could you please help me?"

"That's not going to work, girl." The man she landed on stood up. "I can tell that you're not as young as you look."

Melody glanced back at him and flinched at his dark, hard eyes peering down at her. _Crap. How did this guy know that about me? Is it possible he's strong enough to know what I am? Has he met someone like me before?_

The people in the room stared at her and whispered. "She's not a kid?"

"She looks like one to me."

"Yeah. She has to be about eight years old or so."

"Do not let her appearance fool you," the scarred man said. "We're taking her to the brig. Take the gun from her."

"You got it, Sabo." A man grabbed her arm. He jerked the gun off her shoulder, tossed it to the fishman, and pinned her wrists behind her back.

"Aw, come on!" Melody flinched when he pulled her arms too hard behind her. "Take it easy! I'm not here to hurt you or anything!" Her eyes shot back to the scarred man. "Wait. He called you Sabo. You're the number two of the revolutionary army."

"If you know who we are then you know there's no possible way for you to take us down," Sabo said.

"I'm not here to take you down," Melody mumbled. "But I could if I wanted to."

"No. You couldn't."

Melody jumped when Sabo leaned close to her. The hairs on her arms stood on ends. She swallowed.

"What do you mean?" the woman asked.

Sabo dug into his pocket. A green light shimmered from a murky green stone in his palm.

Melody's legs wobbled. Her energy vanished. She buckled to the floor with the man still holding tight on her wrists. She panted for air. "You've got…to be kidding. Where…did you get that?"

"It doesn't matter." Sabo handed the woman to the stone in his hand. "Keep this out where it can see her skin."

"See her skin?" The woman took the stone. "What is this?"  
"It's what will keep her in control until I can speak with her later," Sabo said. "We're going to take her back to the ship while the rest of us look around to make sure no one followed her. We'll meet you back there. Hack, you carry her."

Melody glared at Sabo before she was passed to the fishman.

"I apologize for this," Hack said.

"It's okay." Melody smiled.

"Hack! Don't be nice to the enemy!" the woman said.

"Sorry. But I do not believe she is an enemy," Hack said.

"You're so nice," Melody said before glaring at Sabo. "Something someone else here could learn from."

"Shut up or I'll gag you," Sabo said.

"Let's just get this over with," Melody said.

Hack lifted her into his arms. They headed for the door. One of the other men looked out. He nodded back at them before they shuffled outside.

"You're not much of…a gentleman," Melody said between pants. "You could have at least asked my name back there."

"I never claimed to be a gentleman," Sabo said. "And let's not forget that you're the one who dropped in on us."

"It's not like I did that on purpose," Melody said. "I tripped and fell through the floor."

"You tripped?" Hack looked down at her.

Melody smiled with a squeal. "I can't believe I get to see a fishman. I've heard so much about your people. You're so cute!"

"Uh," Hack said, a light blush fanned across his cheeks. "That's nice."

"Shut up. I'm not going to tell you again to be quiet," Sabo said. He slipped up to a house and tucked beside it.

"Do you hear something?" the woman asked.

"Voices," Sabo whispered.

"I though this place was abandoned," the woman said.

"They're probably looking after our little thief here," Sabo said. He peaked around the building. Down the alleyway were a group of men speaking together.

"I'm not a thief!" Melody tried to snap at the blonde but it fell flat thanks to the stone draining her energy.

"Oh yeah? Then why did you have the gun?" Sabo asked. "Did someone just _give_ it to you?"

Melody grumbled. Technically she did _steal_ it since it didn't belong to her. But she stole it for a good reason. And they were being made illegally.

"Let's go." Sabo shot across the street when the men had vanished. Sounds of a fight broke out somewhere behind them but the three didn't stop as they made their way through the abandoned town.

Melody growled, as she remained helpless in Hack's arms. She cursed the pollution stone. _How did that guy even find one of those? Was it him who figured it out or was it someone else in the Revolutionaries?_ Before she could work out an answer for those questions the sound of her captors boots on the wood broke her thoughts. They had reached a ship. The one carrying her took her down some steps. Wood and mold gathered in her nose. It was a step up from all the dust she had crawled through a while ago. She was placed down on a cell floor.

Hack stepped back.

Sabo knelt down and searched her pockets. His face turned curious at the sight of her pry bar. "It's shorter than normal."

"Duh." Melody rolled her eyes. "I have to be able to carry it easily. And hide it when needed."

"I did also noticed your pants pocket was rather big." Sabo put the pry bar under his arm. "I take it you made them yourself."

"Maybe." Melody shrugged as he pulled out her transponder snail. She opened her mouth to demand it back but she wasn't sure that was the right idea. The revolutionaries were known for freeing slaves. Maybe she didn't need to give it to the navy.

"Now, tell me what you were doing in that house," Sabo said. He sat down in front of her. "Tell me how you got that gun."

"I took it from the factory," Melody said. "I was going to give it to the navy when they came back here."

"How did you manage to get it from the factory?" the woman asked. "We've been trying to get in there for two weeks."

Melody shrugged. "I have my ways."

"That could be a very long wait," Sabo said. "And it's possible the navy wouldn't listen to you."

"I know. I could manage until they get here. I also took pictures of the factory for proof that it's here," Melody said.

"And that's why you were in the abandon town?" Sabo asked.

"Yes." Melody looked directly in his eyes. "I didn't want to lead them back to my safe house."

"Instead you led them to us." Sabo frowned.

"Well, excuse me for not knowing you were there." Melody frowned with a roll of her eyes. "Next time I'll be sure to pack my x-ray vision with me." She sighed when Sabo frowned at her. "Look I don't mean you any harm. I won't tell anyone that you're here. I know you actually help people. If you want I can get you into the factory."

"And what makes you think we need your help?" the woman asked.

"Because you've lost men." Melody looked at the woman. "Who are you anyway?"

"Oh. My name's Koala." Koala pointed at herself.

"Cute name." Melody nodded. "I'm Melody."

"Nice to meet you, Melody," Hack said.

"Must you be so nice to her?" Koala asked.

"I can't help it. I'm just drawn to her," Hack said.

"He's so cute!" Melody squealed. She turned back to Sabo. "Well? I can get you into that factory. I'm pretty sure your men are alive. Most likely they're working inside now. What do you say? You want to free those people or not?"

"Why should we work with you? For all we know you're working with the factory," Sabo said.

"Did you know there's a man at the factory that has a devil fruit?" Melody asked.

"That wasn't in our reports," Hack said.

"Tell us more," Sabo said.

"His devil fruit is quick sand," Melody said. "That's why your men haven't come back yet. He's using the natural quick sand in the jungle as a cover. Normal people can't tell where the jungle quick sand ends and where his devil fruit quick sand begins. But I can. I can get you inside the factory."

She locked eyes with Sabo. The man was giving her words consideration.

"Fine." Sabo nodded. He snatched the pollution stone off the floor and shoved it back into his pocket. "I'll believe you for now. But if you show any signs of betraying us I'll pull this stone back out. Then kill you."


	2. Freedom

Freedom

"So, Melon," Sabo said. "How do you plan on getting us into the factory?"

"Melon?" Melody cocked an eyebrow. "My name's Melody."

"Just tell me." Sabo crossed his arms.

"I'll use my water crystals to lift you all up to the top of the factory," Melody said.

"You can do that?" Koala asked.

"Of course I can." She eyed the revolutionaries. "It might be a bit rough for you humans but the fishman won't have any problems."

"Really? Why?" Koala asked.

"Because he's use to be in the water of course. And so am I," Melody said.

"So what exactly are you?" Hack asked. "You seem different from others."

Melody locked eyes with Sabo. "You wanna tell them that or should I?"

"I don't care what you do, Melon." Sabo walked away from them.

"Melody!" Melody snapped. "Geez. What is wrong with him?"

"Never mind him," Koala said. "Want to go outside?"

"Sure." Melody stood up and followed them up the steps. "Back to your question. I'm an elemental."

"And elemental?" Hack cocked his head to the side.

"We look like humans but we're connected to nature." Melody sat on the railing and summoned several crystals. "We all have crystals like this. I'm a water elemental. I can create and manipulate water. That's also why I have blue hair."

"I get it! You're people can also create and control the other elements!" Koala smiled.

"That's right," Melody said with a nod.

Koala joined her on the railing. "So where do you come from? Do you live on this island?"

"I've been here for a few months." Melody kicked her feet. "My home is somewhere else. Sorry. I can't tell you about it or where it is. My people are very protective of our home. It's been like that forever. It wouldn't be good if most humans found out about us. They would undoubtedly misuse our abilities, both navy and pirates alike."

"That makes sense." Koala nodded.

"So what are you doing out here?" Hack asked.

"I'm looking for someone," Melody said. She hummed. "Well, more specifically, I'm keeping an eye on her. She's very important to our people."

"She's important to your people? She your ruler or something?" Koala asked.

"Something like that." Melody rubbed her neck.

"Where is she? Do you know?" Hack asked.

"Not sure. All I know is she's been sighted with the Heart Pirates," Melody said.

"The Heart Pirates?!" Koala gasped. "Why would she be with them?! Do you have any idea what kind of man the captain is of that pirate crew?!"

"Nope. No clue."

"He's known for his cruelty of tormenting his enemies in the North Blue," Hack said.

"Really?" Melody's eyebrows rose. "He's that bad? Huh. I wonder how she ended up with him and his crew then."

"You don't seem worried," Koala said.

"I am a little concerned but she's one of us," Melody said. "She'll be fine. Believe me. If she didn't want to be with them then there would be nothing they could do to stop her from leaving."

"If you say so," Koala said.

"So when do you want to get this rescue mission started?" Melody looked to Sabo. The blonde man was speaking with another man before he walked over to them.

"Right now they'll be on guard because of the trouble you caused," Sabo said. "Before they can gather more forces we'll attack now."

"Wow. You don't waste anytime," Melody said. "Except for using that pollution stone on me."

"Pollution stone?" Koala asked.

"That's the green stone your friend here used on me before." Melody jerked her thumb towards Sabo. "It weakens my people as you witnessed."

"Enough talking, Melon."

"Melody!"

"We're going." Sabo walked towards the plank descending to the island.

Melody pushed herself off the railing and followed him. Reaching the end of the plank they turned left and followed the coastline. For a moment she thought it was an odd move then realized those men were probably still looking for her. If they stuck as close to the coastline as possible then cut in towards the factory they had less of a chance of running into someone. But that would also mean walking through more of the jungle. "You do know what you're doing, right? Going this way you'll run into a lot of quick sand areas. Or do you guys do more of a thorough sweep of the island than I think?"

"We're taking this route so not to run into anyone from the factory and for you to prove we can trust you," Sabo said. He glanced back at her. "You can speak to animals and show us where the quick sand beds are, right?"

"You can speak to animals?" Koala asked.

"Of course I can," Melody said. "All elementals can."

"Then let's get to it." Sabo cut into the trees. The salty sea air was quickly replaced with the mossy smell of the forest.

Melody looked to her right. Below moss covered water she sensed alligators taking note of them.

"What is it?" Sabo asked.

"Twelve alligators have noticed us," Melody said. "They're staying in the water so don't worry about them."

"I'm not scared of them," Sabo said.

"Never said you were." Melody huffed. "Is he always like this?"

"He's very confident," Koala said. "And sometimes very rude. He'll hang up on you in the middle of a conversation over a transponder snail."

"Wow. That is rude," Melody said.

"But he's number two of our group," Koala said.

Melody looked back at Sabo. The man continued to march on ahead of them. She knew he could hear them but he said nothing. Lowering her voice she asked, "So what's with the scar on his face? Did he get that in combat?"

"No," Koala whispered back. "I don't know the details of everything but he had it when he came to the revolutionaries. Dragon found him in the ocean. His ship had been blown apart. He would have drowned if it weren't for Dragon. When he woke up he had memory loss. He's been with the revolutionaries since then."

"Oh," Melody said. She wanted to ask more but felt like she was intruding somewhere she shouldn't. Besides it sounded like Koala wouldn't be able to tell her much more since he didn't remember anything himself.

"So how did your parents feel about you coming out here on your own?" Hack asked as they continued working their way through the twists and turns of the forest.

"They weren't happy about it. But I felt this was something I needed to do," Melody said. "So after I convinced them I took off."

"Don't you get tired of being alone?" Koala asked.

"I'm never alone with all the animals around. Quick sand bed." Melody summoned her water crystals. She formed a water slide for each of them. They jumped on the water and surfed over the quick sand. Koala lost her balance a couple times then fell to the ground at the other side. Melody offered her a hand. "You okay?"

"Yes. Thank you." Koala took her hand and stood up. "That was hard."

"You'll get better at it." Melody smiled. They continued walking for another hour and a half before finally reaching the factory. They ducked behind some bushes.

Koala pulled out some binoculars and peered into them. "There're about fifteen guards outside. That's an increase of the three before. They're surrounding all sides of the buildings."

"All right, Melon," Sabo said. "You're up. Don't disappoint me."

Melody growled. "You could at least get my name right."

"How are you going to get us in?" Hack asked. "Charge right in?"

"That's one way to do it. But I figured you'd want to slip in unnoticed, at least for a while." Melody summoned her water crystals. She slipped her water torrents under their feet and lifted them into the sky before guiding them over to the roof of the building.

"Where's the devil fruit user?" Sabo asked.

"Right below us," Melody said.

Sabo reached into his coat and pulled something out then dropped it over the side.

"What was that?" Melody asked.

"Sea stone hand cuffs. We wont have a problem with the devil fruit user now."

Melody glanced over. A man was lying on the ground with the sea stone on him. She sat them down on the roof. "I'm surprised they didn't put guards up here considering the way I got in this building in the first place."

"Most likely they have guards inside to take you by surprise if you come back." Sabo adjusted his glove before shifting his fingers into position that looked like a dragon's claw.

"What are you doing?" Melody asked.

"Oh no," Koala said.

"What? What is it?" Melody asked noticing Koala and Hack cringing.

"You might want to brace yourself," Hack said. "Sabo's about to destroy the ceiling."

"What?!" Melody cried before Sabo struck the ceiling with his dragon like hand. The roof crackled. Cracks ran through the smooth surface before falling in with a rumble. She choked back a scream while summoning her water crystals again. She moved to put them underneath the other three but paused. They were easily working their way through the mess Sabo had put them in. She focused on keeping herself uninjured.

When they reached the floor below them Sabo struck again then again with each floor they landed on until they crumbled until they reached the last floor. The revolutionaries broken enough of the build that mostly crumbs fell down on the people below them. Melody pushed the remaining heavy pieces away from the people, letting them fall on the guns to destroy as many as she could before using her water to land safely.

The other three landed safely as well.

"Jerk!" Melody punched Sabo on the shoulder. "Give me a warning next time!"

Sabo smirked.

"You are so impossible!" Melody shimmered.

"Stop them!" someone yelled out.

The revolutionaries jumped into action immediately. Guns fired. Slaves screamed and ran for cover.

Melody watched Koala and Hack use some form of karate she had never seen before while Sabo used his pipe and hands to fight with people. She shook her head and refocused. She could learn more about that later on. Summoning a few more crystals she shot water streams at some guards charging at her. She turned on her heels, catching her shoes together. She tripped. Pain shot through her arm. She winced, spun around, and shot a blast of water at a man who was pointing a gun at her before landing on the ground. Warm blood trickled down her arm.

A man rushed towards her.

Melody shifted a crystal. Before she could attack Sabo kicked the man away from her.

"Not a good time to be clumsy/" Sabo jumped over to her.

"I'm fine. Thanks. It's just a scratch." More gunfire.

Sabo charged at the men, knocking them down with his pipe. Minutes later the guards were all out and lying on the floor.

Melody exhaled. "That was some fight."

"Melody!"

"Huh?" Melody turned before getting plowed into by a yellow blur. "Rain?"

"I was so scared!" Rain wailed and buried her face in Melody's shoulder.

"It's all right." Melody patted her back. "You're safe now. And you're all free."

The slaves cheered.

"Not bad, Melody." Koala walked over to them. "Is this your friend you were trying to save?"

"This is her." Melody nodded.

"You're hurt," Rain said.

"It's just a scratch."

"You need to get it taken care of before it gets infected," Rain said.

"All right, let's move everyone out of here," Sabo said before knocking a hole in the wall.

"If you keep that up you're going to bring the whole building down around us," Melody said.

"We're leaving. So it doesn't matter," Sabo said.

"You are such a pain." Melody shook her head.

"He's cute," Rain said. "Who is he?"

"Not for you." Melody planted her hand on Rain's shoulder and guided the girl out of the building. They escorted the former slaved all the way back to the town. Doctors and other people came out to help those who had injuries. "What about the people back in the factory?"

"Our people will take care of them," Hack said.

Melody nodded. "So I guess this is goodbye then."

"I guess so," Koala said. "Let me clean your wound." She waved to a crate. "Sit."

Melody sat down. She kicked her legs back and forth while Koala cleaned and bandage her arm. She glanced around, finding Sabo missing. "Where's Sabo?"

"Oh? Worried about him?" Koala smirked.

"No." Melody rolled her eyes. "I was just curious."

"I'm sure he's around here somewhere," Koala said. "Probably on the transponder snail or something. There you go."

Melody looked at the white bandage around her arm. She flexed her arm to make sure the bandage wasn't too tight.

"So what are you going to do now?" Hack asked.

"Continue on my journey," Melody said.

"Such a bummer," Koala said. "I was hoping we could get to know you better."

"Sorry." Melody shrugged. "But you've got your job and I've got mine."

"You're coming with us," Sabo said appearing out of nowhere.

"Excuse me?" Melody blinked.

"Dragon wants to meet you," Sabo said. "So you are sailing with us."

"Are you kidding me?" Melody asked.

"Of course not," Sabo said before walking away. "Get your stuff and meet up in an hour at the ship."

"Hey! I never agreed to that!" Melody shouted, but Sabo didn't turn around.

"It would be great if you came with us," Koala said. "We could use someone with you talents. I mean, if Dragon allows it."

"Talents?" Melody chuckled. "I've never heard that before. I'm always referred to as clumsy. But I don't know. I have my own issues to take care of."

"You know if you join us we can help you keep an eye on your friend," Koala asked.

Melody hummed. The revolutionaries did have sources she didn't have access to. And she really wanted to keep a close eye _her_. "Well, I would like to meet this Dragon of yours. If he's really that interested in me and my people maybe we can work out a deal."

"Then you'll come with us?" Koala smiled.

"Okay," Melody said. "I'll come and hear Dragon out." She slid off the crate. "I'll go get my stuff and meet you at the ship."

Koala nodded.

"Melody!" Rain walked over. "I'm heading home now. Will you walk with me?"

"Sure." Melody nodded. She followed her blonde friend through the town.

"I wanted to thank you again for saving me. I was so scared I'd never get out of there," Rain said.

"It's okay. I never would have given up on you," Melody said.

"So will you stay here now that this is over?" Rain asked.

"Rain," Melody sighed. "You know I can't stay. I told you that when we first met."

"I know. But I thought you might change your mind," Rain said. "You've become like a sister to me."

"You're like a sister to me too," Melody said.

"Then let me go with you!" Rain jumped in front of Melody. Her dark blue eyes pleaded at her. "Please?"

Melody rubbed her neck. "You know your parents wouldn't allow that."

"We don't have to tell them," Rain said. "We can leave at night. They won't know until the next morning. We'll be long gone by then."

"Rain, you're only fourteen," Melody said. "It's not safe for you to travel on the sea."

"But you do it." Rain pouted.

"I'm different, Rain. You know that," Melody said.

"You can protect me."

"We all saw how well that worked out." Melody crossed her arms.

Rain dropped her eyes and nodded.

"I'm sorry, Rain." Melody patted her friend's head. "But this is best for you. Your parents have been very worried about you. You're their only child. They need you here."

Rain nodded again.

They continued walking through the town. Coming to Rain's home they entered the building together.

"Rain!" Her parents came running over to them. Her mom threw a hug around her daughter before her dad wrapped them both in his arms.

"See? Told you I'd set her free," Melody said.

"Thank you, Melody," Mom said.

"Yes. Thank you for bringing back our little girl," Dad said.

"You're welcome," Melody said. "Don't worry about those men. The revolutionaries have taken care of them."

"That's wonderful," Mom said.

Melody slipped away from them. She walked up the stairs, reach up, and pulled down the stairs to the attic. Once up the stairs she packed her single bag then exited through the window. She landed on the ground with a thud then looked back up at the window. Rain would be angry with her for slipping off this way but she had to. If she got into another conversation with the girl she would beg to go with her again.

Shifting her bag on her shoulder, Melody ran off towards the ship. People were reuniting with their families as she ran through the town. The revolutionaries were nowhere to be seen. She found them when she arrived at the ship. "Wow. You guys don't drag your feet at all."

"Of course not," Koala said. "Come on aboard."

Melody stepped forward. The toe of her shoe caught on the plank and she fell. "Ouch."

"You are clumsy."

Melody looked up to find Sabo with his arms crossed over the railing and an amusing smirk on his face. She snarled at him then pushed herself back to her feet.

"You'll be staying in my room," Koala said when Melody reached the top of the plank.

"Great." Melody followed the woman down the downstairs. They passed a couple doors before Koala opened a door.

"Top bunk's yours if that's okay," Koala said.

"Fine with me." Melody tossed her bag upon her bed. "Now what?"  
"We can go back to the deck," Koala said. "Or you can do whatever. The bathroom is down the hall on the left. The kitchen is up top. You saw the level above the deck? That's where it is. The infirmary is on the other side of the kitchen."

"Great," Melody said. They headed back up to the deck. The revolutionaries were running around getting the ship prepared to leave. Koala quickly joined them. Melody walked up the stairs to the upper deck. She walked all the way to the front and crossed her arms over the railing. Before long the ship moved away from the island. They were on their way to Dragon, the leader of the revolutionaries.

…

**Yeah, this story isn't going very well. Sorry about that.**


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